Sabtu, Desember 23, 2006

Central Bank denies determining the price of the US dollar against the Iraqi dinar

A source in the Bank indicated that the number of banks participating in this auction amounted to 10 banks between governmental and private.

Stressing that the auction came to 1422 iraqi dinars to the dollar, and the quantity sold by the bank was fourteen million and '830' thousand dollars, while the quantity purchased by the bank was one million dollar.

The source added that the quantity sold in cash to banks and customers amounted to eight million and '820' thousand dollars, while the quantity sold for remittances outside Iraq reached six million and ten thousand dollars.

On the other hand, an official source in the Iraqi Central Bank denied rumors on the bank seeking to determine the rate of the dollar against the dinar at one thousand iraqi dinar.

Stressing that the issue of determining the exchange rate of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar is not possible, now, for two reasons: first, the reserve capacity of the bank is not absolute, and second is the factor of the price increase.

He added: observing the general trends point to higher prices in return for a lack of improvement, which makes the dollar reduction to this value impossible at the present time, in addition to the limited financial capabilities of the Bank.

He explained: that the significant decline in the dollar, directly after the fall of the previous regime, was caused by the flow of billions of dollars to Iraq and distributing them among employees as well as opening exchange and restrictions. He pointed out: that at the present time and because of the deterioration of security and the high rate of inflation, the devaluation of the dollar is not expected at all.

It is noteworthy that some economists pointed out the Bank have sought to reduce the price of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar through the monetary policy which it follows in the opening of the daily auction for treasury remittances.(Source)AlSabah